Chinese wine? 1937 Colheita Port? Quilceda Creek retrospective? Probing questions for top Washington winemakers? Learning Washington AVA geology? My brain is full. I’m totally exhausted from only the first of THREE days of SOMMSummit, a symposium on wine and spirits.

I’m back swimming with the wine sharks in tasting group. That leads to a call for help on Facebook. That leads to inquiring about the design project I’m working on: SOMMSummit. And that leads to attending the three-day symposium with trained sommeliers, winemakers, and brand ambassadors–all the great white sharks of the industry. I’m still a guppy–and that’s okay. Turns out, so are many attending. It’s a great time to learn>>>Read entire article featuring – Novelty Hill-Januik, WT Vintners, Patterson Cellars and Pondera Winery on Eric Explores

Wine recommendations from the Chronicle's tasting panelHouston ChronicleWinery/vineyards: The 200-acre estate, which dates to at least 1856, is one of some 50 producers in the Côtes de Thongue, part of the Languedoc in southern France. The vineyards ... Eight to 12 tasters, who are a mix of industry professionals and ...